Sacramento police officer accused of filing false report appears in court via Zoom
One of two Sacramento police officers arrested last week made a Zoom appearance Monday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court, but did not enter a plea.
Alexa Palubicki, 26, appeared briefly via in a hearing inside the Sacramento County Main Jail and agreed to appear again June 24.
Palubicki faces two counts of filing a false police report in connection with the July 11, 2020, arrest of a motorist who was found to have a loaded handgun in a backpack inside his car.
Internal police investigation documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee say detectives believe Palubicki concocted phony probable cause to approach the motorist, Andre Davis, 27, after he pulled into a shell gas station on Jibboom Street and parked his Nissan Altima.
The felony complaint filed against Palubicki on Thursday says she made false statements when she wrote in the report that Davis was approached because he had not used his turn signal and because he was suspected of driving under the influence.
Davis refused six times that night to consent to the search of his car, documents say. The charges against Davis were later dismissed because of “insufficient evidence,” court records say.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said last week that some criminal cases involving Palubicki as an officer had been dismissed.
Schubert’s office added that in others “where Palubicki participated in some manner but is not a necessary witness for trial, we have notified the defense of this investigation consistent with our ethical obligations.”
“We are in the process of reviewing past cases in which Palubicki was involved and that have already resulted in a conviction to determine the appropriate remedy,” Schubert’s office said in a statement.
Other officers have been placed on suspension during the investigation, which is continuing.
One day after Palubicki’s arrest, Sacramento police announce the arrest of another officer on domestic violence charges.
Justin Davis Shepard, 30, another three-year veteran of the department, was booked on four felony counts and later released on bail.
Shepard is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday.
This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 9:42 AM.